No more TuneIn URL streams anymore, guess I am returning my two Eras :(

Sonos has stated all stations that are already working in the app will be moved to Sonos Radio and that they are working on a solution for this.

@enidcoleslaw13  and @Runjoey .  Exactly what is it you think is happening that gives you a problem?  I can’t help thinking that you have misunderstood something.  Can you point me to an announcement that clarifies this?

Thanks for clarifying, @controlav .

In which case, my question to @Runjoey and @enidcoleslaw13 is “for which radio streams have you manually added custom URLs to your Sonos system?  If the answer is “none” then you are not affected 

@enidcoleslaw13  - even if your husband’s favourite station is affected by this (which I doubt), if he can play the station on a computer or mobile device then he can use Bluetooth to play to Sonos Era speakers..  So why would you do something as stupid as returning your Sonos speakers?

Yes, they have always, but do they still? If the answer is yes, please provide the steps. I have been unsuccessful so far.

While some independent radio stations will allow you to stream directly from a browser (and yes, that could be cast to newer Sonos models), many provide a stream-direct URL.  Previously, these URLs could be added to Sonos Favorites (or… may have been My Stations?).  Nonetheless, a mobile device was only used to control the speaker.  Once the music was playing, it was playing directly from the wifi signal.

I won’t pretend to understand what goes on under the hood, but TuneIn was required to add a URL.  In fact, Sonos’ own support still shows TuneIn as part of the setup.

TuneIn has dropped support and now this can’t be done:  https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/add-an-internet-radio-station-to-sonos 

I can cast to any bluetooth speaker.  I get it.  However, that is not what I want.  I simply like the idea of a corded electric speaker playing music without have to use electricity from a second device to support it.  Anal?  Maybe, but I like what I like.  It wouldn’t be so bad, but I used to be able to do this–and now I can’t.  (Again, we are talking about streaming a URL–I know there are tons of other music services available and I appreciate that.)

On the page where my connected services are listed (in the Sonos app), a simple “Add URL” button would be fantastic.  The interface would allow us to nickname the stream and access it with any of our other services. Or as 106rallye mentioned, Sonos’ may have something in the works in the ‘Sonos Radio’ interface.

To elaborate on my previous post:

1.  As ​​​@controlav commented, this facility has never had anything to do with TuneIn.  It was just a convenient slot to put the info in.  It is and has always been a direct URL that Sonos uses to get the stream tthat is made available by the station.
2. I added a URL a few minutes ago by following the instructions in the document linked by @Runjoey (which is how I have always done it)  I used the desktop app but the facility also still seems to be in the mobile app.
3. The created station still appears in “My Radio Stations” under TuneIn.  It still has absolutely B****r-all to do with TuneIn,
4. The station can from there be added to Favourites.  It was always thus and still is.

What are the grounds for believing this is no longer possible, or that this is going to change?  The answer cannot be that “TuneIn has dropped support” for this, as @Runjoey suggested, because TuneIn has never supported it.

Shouldn’t there be a TuneIn old (which is indeed going away) and a TuneIn new, that does not allow added streams?

You are correct, but nonetheless, as you say, the old is going away (and with it, the only method we know of, to add a direct URL.

Personally, I feel this is a money issue. And companies have to make money—I get it. But we’re transitioning into an era where, when you buy a product, you’re limited in what you can do with it. Your freedoms are within the constraints of the ongoing “service”.

Everyone wants a piece of the pie. I’m guessing that with streaming a direct URL, someone is losing a nickel and they don’t like it. Solution: get rid of the URL option or, at least make it difficult. In the end, the consumer loses. 

I just happen to have three URLs I like to stream. I donate money to these independent stations because they find and play music I can’t hear anywhere else. It’s that simple.

This is my uneducated (or “blind,” as stated above) opinion and it certainly may be wrong.

You are correct. I think this is what others may not understand as they may still be on TuneIn’s old interface within the Sonos iOS app. For those with TuneIn’s new (and improved???) interface, the option to add a direct URL appears to have been removed. (And if anyone has found this Easter egg in the *new* interface, do tell.)

What is “my iOS app”? Maybe just a typo, but was curious if you meant it was a product you developed yourself that solves this issue  

Haven’t had a desktop in a few years now, so I’m limited to the iOS app (which is where the current issue lies). 

Agree 💯. The trend over the last decade from many service providers is “We will decide what the consumer wants—we know better than they do.”  I love technology and appreciate AI—in many cases, it helps discover new music (or whatever the media is). But at the end of the day, I know what I like and having control taken away is VERY frustrating.

My app is just that, called “Phonos Plus” on iOS. It allows you to add custom URLs to your Sonos system, and unlike the official app actually validates they work before adding them.